1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to animal feeding dishes and, more particularly, to moated animal feeding dishes-wherein the animals' food is placed in a dish which is surrounded by water, or the like, to prevent ants and other creepy, crawly insects, and small animals, from crawling into the animal's food, and, more particularly, to a pair of triangular receptacles for receiving food or water which are nested in an offsetting relationship to one another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known and recognized among pet owners, especially dogs and cats, that animal feeders, such as dishes, and the like, are nearly always positioned on the floor near an external wall where such dishes are especially accessible to crawling insects, such as ants, which have a propensity for seeking out, and, unfortunately, finding a supply of food. Such insects, once in the food, will not only contaminate the pet's food, but such insects cannot be tolerated in human habitats.
Various attempts have been made to create a pet feeder which will provide a solution to this problem of crawling insects. Among such designs are those of the moated variety. A moated pet feeder dish is simply one in which the dish holding the pet food is surrounded by water thereby forming a "moat" such as was typically found about a castle in Europe during the Middle Ages as a form of protection against attack by an enemy army. Such moated varieties are shown and described in such U.S. Pat. Nos. 948,014 (Lewis); 1,552,076 (Mosier); 2,191,811 (Tramrier); 2,543,465 (Morey); 2,584,301 (Sinclair); 2,677,350 (Prestidge); 4,357,905 (Carpenter); 4,007,711 (Michael); Des. 105,812 (); Des. 122,576 (Steinhlber); Des. 127,800 (K.Hayt, aka K. Barrie); Des. 127,799 (K.Hayt, aka K. Barrie); Des. 190,668 (Bliss); Des. 262,069 (Khider); and Des. 265,157 (McKeegan). Each of these designs have their own unique problems which make them unacceptable for one or more reasons for use by pet owners.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 948,014 (Lewis), 1,552,076 (Mosier), and 2,543,465 (Morey) depict a two (2) piece design. Such feeders present a plurality of discrete components which, of course, must be assembled and disassembled for cleaning and then reassembled before further use. Because these feeders are formed by a plurality of discrete components, they are also expensive to manufacture, and thus require a retail price which is greater than purchasers are willing to pay. And, because of their two (2) piece design, such are more prone to operational failure because without being clean from debris, and the like, the pieces will not always permit functional interconnection because they become clogged with debris, food sand, dirt, water, and are enlarged with each teardown and reinstallation. All of this is unnecessary and is avoided by the use of a single piece moated pet feeder.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,301 (Sinclair) is formed of a plurality of different containers 14, 16 all of which are mated to a wire-form elevated support structure or frame 12. Each container 16 is rimmed with a wide horizontal flange 38 which extends well outwardly over the associated moat element 14. Because of this wide horizontal flange which extends well over the associated moat element 14, the pet is prevented from drinking water from the moat element 14. Additionally, if one or more, of the rubber feet 22 become disengaged from the combined leg and body members 20 or wear out, the entire combination will not remain stationary but will move, and quite likely, tip over while the pet is eating therefrom. Further, in the event that food, or other debris, becomes disposed in the rather narrowly defined moat element 14, it will become inoperative. Still further, the moat element 14 is an integral part of the supporting frame 12.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,191,811 (Tramrier) is a combination pet food and water feeder which is surrounded by a shallow container for holding water to create a moat to provide a water barrier serving to prevent bugs and other insects from crawing up the sides of the bowl or main receptacle and into the same. A small tube 6 is used to allow water which is contained in compartment 4 to flow into the through 2. As a result, the water in the moat cannot be used as a water feeder for the pet because of its physical location. Additionally, if the tube 6 becomes plugged by bits of food, or the like, adding water to the trough 2 to create a moat becomes inconvenient and impractical as well as nearly impossible.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,350 (Prestidge) is yet another variety of moated animal or pet feeder. This integral, single piece unit envisions the use of a food feeder container 6 with a moat defined as a circumferencial trough 7. This small narrow trough 7 is purposely made inaccessible to the pet being fed by this feeder because the inventor envisioned the use of an insecticide in the trough 7. This is highly undesirable today because in the event that the entire combination is tipped over, the insecticide will be spilled and may be eaten by the pet. Depending on the insecticide used, should the pet drink it, it may well be fatal to the pet. Consequently, it is highly undesirable. Further, this moat formed by the trough 7 is not intended by the inventor for use as a water feeder as is the case with the invention disclosed herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,905 (Carpenter) relates to a moated pet feeder. Basically, this pet feeder 10 envisioned by this patent is shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, and depicts the use of a unitary structure having a food bowl 12 and a water bowl 14. The food bowl 12 is surrounded by a moat cavity 16 which is connected to the water bowl 14 by a passage 18 in the form of an open channel. All of the other forms of this invention are simply variations of this particular structure. This is quite different from that shown in the present invention. Carpenter envisions a totally separate food and a water container not sharing a common floor, whereas the within described invention shares a common floor. Carpenter anticipates that a separate container 22 for the food will used and deposited in one of the bowls called a food bowl 12 which will displace some of the water used to form a moat thereabout through the channel and into the water bowl 14. This, of course, wets the bottom and sidewalls of the food container 22 and when withdrawn therefrom is unacceptably and needlessly messy and unsanitary. If one does not selected the right diametered food container 22, under certain conditions, no moat will be created.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,711 (Michael) depicts an elevated, moated pet feeder. In FIG. 5 of the drawings there is shown an annular moat or trough 18 disposed around the bowl 10 to serve as a prophylactic against crawling insects and to provide water for the pet. It is suggested that such a moat could be either an integral part of the bowl 10 or a separate piece. To accommodate pets of various sizes, or a growing pet, this pet feeder envisions a means for elevating the dish to various heights. A hinged cover or lid 14 is provided for the bowl in which the food is disposed. This moated food dish is merely a pair of concentrically arranged or disposed circular dishes; the centrally-disposed dish is used for containing the food and the outer dish is used for containing the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 122,576 (Steinhlber) relates to a salad bowl. It consists of a single integral unit containing a centrally disposed bowl with a concentrically arranged outer bowl. Both of the bowls are circumferencial in nature. This is quite similar to the arrangement shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,711 (Michael).
U.S. Pat. No. 127,800 (K.Hayt, aka K. Barrie) and U.S. Pat. No. 127,799 (K.Hayt, aka K. Barrie) relate to candle and/or flower holders. However, only the structure depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 127,800 can be called "moated". If such structure were to be used for feeding and watering a pet, it would not be very useful because it would be very hard to clean having four (4) corners. Additionally, because of the arrangement of both structures, they would both be prone to be easily tipped over and the contents spilled by the pet because each is unbalanced.
U.S. Pat. No. 190,668 (Bliss) is another variety of the concentrically arranged pair of circumferencially shaped bowls forming a moat about the centrally disposed bowl. In this device, however, a reverse lip is disposed about each of the rims of the two (2) bowls. Its function is not disclosed, but, it would seem obvious as to its function of making it even more difficult for the creepy, crawling insects to march into the moated area of this structure. It is quite similar to the structure and arrangement of that which is shown and depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 122,576 (Steinhlber) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,711 (Michael).
U.S. Pat. No. 262,069 (Khider) is yet another variety of the concentrically arranged pair of circumferencially shaped bowls forming a moat about the centrally disposed bowl. In this device, however, the centrally disposed bowl is divided with a partition for the obvious purpose of separating the pet food from the water. The narrow moated area disposed thereabout does not contemplate its use as a water feeder for the pet.
U.S. Pat. No. 265,157 (McKeegan) relates to a soup bowl. It does not contemplate a full moated area about the center bowl which is essentially disposed in an offsetting manner with respect to the outer bowl. A handle is employed for lifting this soup bowl to one's mouth. It is not useful as a moated pet feeder such as envisioned herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 105,812 (Siekert) is a Design patent which embodies the more desireable single piece design. However, in this single piece design, the centrally disposed container is formed of a peripherally disposed wall the top of which is below the uppermost portion of the peripherally disposed wall of the outer container. This is undesirable because it allows any overfill water added to the moated area between the two (2) containers to overflow into the centrally disposed container wherein the food is deposited and held. Should this occur, the water will be mixed with the food. While this is sometimes desireable, in general, it is not desireable because it fails to offer the choice of adding water to the food or not to add the water to the food. Further, because of the circular nature of the two (2) concentrically arranged dishes, in order for the moat to be functionally useful as a water feeding dish, the dish must be unduly large in diameter creating a space problem in some cases.
Another undesirable characteristic of such prior art feeders is that the element forming the moat must be independently filled from filling the water bowl of the feeder. Two examples of such feeders are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,584,301 and 4,007,711.
Another problem encountered in the prior art devices is that the combination of the animal feeder dish and the food and water are not arranged to present a low center of gravity. As a result, such combinations are frequently overturned by the animals. This occurs because the dish, and the combined weight of the food and water are not so evenly distributed throughout the entire animal feeder dish as to present a low center of gravity, thereby allowing the combination of the food, water and dish to be more easily overturned by the animal.
A yet still further problem encountered in the prior art devices is that the combination of the animal feeder dish and the food and water are not arranged to provide a combined weight distribution which resists upset and overturning of the entire combination when an aggressively hungry animal is scarfing or wolfing down the food in the centrally disposed dish. As a result, such combinations are frequently overturned by the animals. This occurs because the dish, and the combined weight of the food and water are not appropriately distributed throughout the entire animal feeder dish as to provide a broad base with the usually heavier element, namely, the water, being maximally disposed away from the centrally disposed food. As a consequence, the combination of the food, water and dish is more readily prone to be overturned by the feeding animal.
Further, frequently these animal feeder dishes are placed out of doors on a concrete floor or slab and disposed against a wall or a corner. When the animal eats, it oftentimes moves the dish with the food and water in it along the ground. This movement increases more frequently as the water and the food in the dish are consumed. With the structural arrangement, the present dish structure can be pushed by the animal into a corner or against a wall without restricting the animal's eating and drinking activities. This is not the case with the prior art animal feeding dishes.
Another major problem posed by moated pet feeders of the prior art known to the inventor is that the moated area is either too narrow for the pet to drink water therefrom, or it is arranged to create an extraordinarily large diameter combination pet food and water feeder with a moat if the pet is to be free to drink therefrom. However, the inventor herein has discovered that the overall size of the moated pet food and water feeder can be significantly reduced by the use of offsetting triangularly shaped bowls disposed one inside the other. Further, such an arrangement permits the pet to conveniently drink from either the right or left side of the centrally disposed food container. Still further, such an arrangement maximizes the quantity of water presented on both sides of the food dish to the animal using it.
A yet another object and feature of the present invention is to provide a moated feeding dish where the rim of the food dish is elevated higher than the level of the water, or "moating", dish which forms the outer dish portion of the moated feeding dish, so that the water does not splash over and enter the central food dish.
And yet still further, the conveniently shaped triangular form of the dishes promotes easy cleaning of both of the bowls since there are only three (3) corners instead of four (4) as found in a rectangularly shaped pair of containers.
The three (3) point arrangement of the triangularly shaped bowls provide for a relatively broad base effectively lowering the center of gravity of the entire unit enhancing its ability to resist tip-over by an eager, or overly hungry pet.
With these things in mind, it should be readily noted that none of the prior art moated pet feeding dishes provide solutions to the numerous and manifest problems which are solved by the unique structure set forth in the present invention as more fully disclosed hereinafterwards.